But he was soon welcomed by the Divinity School community, and Dean Robert E. Cushman and his wife became his surrogate parents. He also found a close friend in Helen Kendall, the registrar, for whom he worked, and he remembers the faculty as close friends as well.

Danny Arichea and Ruth Mandac were married in 1963 in York Chapel. Dean and Mrs. Robert E. Cushman hosted the wedding reception (above) in their home.

An exceptional student, Arichea once completed a one-hour exam in Professor Mickey Efird’s class in just 20 minutes. Not wanting to walk out early, he started reading the newspaper to the chagrin of his fellow students, who playfully jeered him into leaving. As Efird embellishes the story, however, it was a three-hour exam and Arichea was literally carried out of the room by several strong and angry classmates.

After earning his master’s degree in religious education in 1960, Arichea returned to the Philippines as the youngest member of the faculty at Union Theological Seminary. Although he had received an offer for Ph.D. study at Boston University, Dean Cushman was determined to have him back at Duke. Arichea did indeed return to Duke in 1962, where he completed his Ph.D. under Professor Hugh Anderson.

The next year he married Ruth Mandac, to whom he had become engaged in the Philippines. Cushman helped arrange for her to come to Durham, and he officiated their wedding in York Chapel. Ruth enrolled in the Divinity School and completed the M.R.E. in 1965.

Bishop Arichea has returned as bishop-in-residence for the fall 2007 semester.

After Daniel and Ruth had their first child, it became clear that they needed a car. Cushman heard about this, and he called the student to his office.

“You can’t afford a car,” Cushman said, then pointed out the window to his own wife’s car. “You can use that one for the rest of the year.”

More than four decades later, Ruth is still a vital partner. She has a gift for music and has organized choirs and music groups everywhere they have served. He describes her as an organizer and admits that, “I would be lost in the midst of chaos if she was not around to help. I have always considered my ministry as a partnership with her.” He often quips that when they are apart he is “ruthless.”

Road to the Episcopacy

The young couple returned home to the Philippines in 1965, where Arichea taught again at Union Theological Seminary. In 1968, he joined the staff of the United Bible Societies as a translation consultant. That work took Arichea and his family from the Philippines (1969-72) to Thailand (1972-74), Indonesia (1974-87) and Hong Kong (1987-94).